El Sistema Somerville presents concert

Wednesday

Apr 5, 2017 at 4:22 PM

On March 22, El Sistema Somerville presented a series of sectional ensembles and a full symphony orchestra in concert. Now in its fourth year, El Sistema Somerville provides an intensive after-school music experience modeled after Venezuela’s national youth orchestra program.Intermediate and advanced violins opened the evening with the fiddle tune, “Millionaire’s Hoedown” by Clebanoff, and beginning violins played “He’s a Pirate” by Bedelt and Zimmer. These two groups then joined in Jay Ungar’s “Ashokan Farewell.” In a cool bit of plucked and bowed jazz, bass violinists played “All Blues” by Miles Davis. From beginners on viola came the folk songs “Go Tell Aunt Rhody” and “May Song.” Intermediate and advanced violists then played Bartok’s “Pillow Dance,” the Czech Dance tune “The Bagpiper” and the German folk song, “Good Night,” and all the violists joined in Moszkowski’s “Three Spanish Dances.”A quartet of beginning cellists played a spirited “Happy Farmer” by Suzuki, before being joined by dozens of intermediate and advanced cellists and bass players in “When the Saints Go Marching In” and “John Ryan’s Polka.” Wind and brass players followed with “Amazing Grace” and James Curnow’s “Korean Folk Rhapsody.” Filling the stage to overflowing for the concert’s finale was El Sistema’s 60-piece Symphonic Orchestra, performing the Haitian folk songs “Ti Zwazo” and “Sirop Grenadine.”Launched in 2012, El Sistema Somerville is housed at the East Somerville Community School and open to any student in grades 3-8 in the Somerville Public Schools. Music instruction includes orchestra rehearsals, wind ensemble, sectionals, chamber music, musicianship classes and private lessons.